Cylinder for leather-working machines



(No Modei.)

. G. W. BAKER.

CYLINDER 190B LEATHER WORKING MACHINES.

No. 538,944. Patented May 7,1895.

INVENTOR G60. M, @O/fiww ram WITNESSES .dltorn ey :NITED STAT S EATENT FFICE.

GEORGE W. BAKER, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE.

CYLINDER FOR LEATHER-WORKING MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 538,944, dated May '7, 1 895.

Application filed February 19,1895. Serial No. 538,996. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. BAKER, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Wilmington, in the county of New Castle and State of Delaware, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cylinders for removed. Fig. 3 is a detail view of a knife in a modified form.

This invention relates to cylinders for use in machines for fieshing hides and skins, and

for setting and like treatment of the same after tanning. Heretofore, the common form of such cylinders has been provided with two series of helically disposed knives or blades meeting at the longitudinal center of the cylinder, and extending in opposite directions toward each end thereof. There have also been devised various modifications of this arrangement with more or less success. It is an obvious fact and one which is well recognized in the trade, that the less pitch given the knives or blades the less is the power required to drive the cylinder, an increase of pitch of courseincreasing the power required; but it has also been found that a cylinder having blades or knives of slight pitch, within certain limits, is less satisfactory in its operationand results than one wherein a greater pitch of knives is employed. A saving in power therefore has resulted in a deterioration in the Work performed.

It is the object therefore of the present invention to provide a cylinder having its knives or blades so disposed or arranged as to combine the advantages of both a high and a low pitch cylinder, with additional advantages not found in either; or in other words, to provide a cylinder capable of performing the most thorough and efficient work with a minimum expenditure of driving power.

\Vith this object in view the invention consists in the novel construction and combinationof parts, all as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the appended claims.

In the carrying out of my invention, instead of arranging the knives or blades in a series of continuous helices oppositely directed from each end of the cylinder to the center, I employ a series of sets of comparatively short knife or blade sections, each set consisting of a plurality of parallel sections disposed in helical relation to the axis of the cylinder and directed to the longitudinal 1 center thereof where it meets a correspondingly but oppositely directed set upon the opposite end portion of said cylinder. All the sections of each set are parallelwith each other, but the sections of any one set are not parallel with those of the adjacent sets upon the same half of the cylinder which are given a different inclination or pitch. The sections of alternate sets are however parallel. The sections are further so disposed that each breaks joints with adjacent sets, those of one set to a greater or less extent extending between those of the succeeding set. Where oppositely directed sets meet at the center, one of the meeting sections slightly passes the other. Each section is a true segment of a helixthat is to say, its lateral faces are atall points perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder. This arrangement will be more fully understood by referenceto the accompanying drawings, wherein- A designates the cylinder, at those sets of sections which have the greater inclination or pitch, and 1), those sets which have the lesser inclination or pitch. I provide in this manner a cylinder, half of whose blades or knives are of one pitch, and the other half a different pitch, whereby it may be driven with much less power than one all of whose blades or knives are of the greater pitch, while its work is performed in a more thorough and satisfactory manner than is possible with a cylinder, all of whose knives or blades are of the less pitch, combining therefore the advantages of both; but its most important advantage consists in the manner of its operation, wherein successive knives act upon the hide orskin at diiferent angles, resulting in much cleaner and more thorough work, and

' sitely directed and meeting at the center.

at the same time reducing the driving power required, the principle being the same to that followed by a boy whittling upon the end of a piece of wood who constantly turns it so that his knife may cut off a corner at each stroke, instead of making a fiat cut off the face of the piece.

In the old form of cylinder above referred to, the hide or skin is operated upon by the successive action of parallel knives or blades, each making its out at precisely the same angle as the preceding and succeeding ones, the result being a tendency to cut in grooves, and the requirement of greater driving power. In some of the modified forms of cylinders, this action has been to some extent remedied, but at a sacrifice of a helical arrangement of the knives or blades. The present cylinder is distinctive from all prior ones of which I am aware in having what may be termed two series of helically disposed knives or blades of different pitch, one series alternating with the other, thereby preserving all the well known advantages of the helical arrangement and the additional advantages above-stated.

I will now proceed to describe what I consider to be the most practical way of securing the knives or blades to the cylinder.

The provision of two series of grooves of different pitch in which to set the knives is objectionable for the reason that one series will intersect the other and weaken the walls to a great extent. I therefore plane in the cylinder a series of broad, parallel, helical grooves 0 (see Fig. 2), the grooves upon the two end portions of the cylinder being oppo- In one of these grooves I place a set of knives, a, arranging them in parallel relation to each other and obliquely to the axis of the groove. The amount of obliquity given the knives determines of course their pitch. They are secured in place by means of calking d, which may be effected by the use of metal wedges, or by pouring in molten metal, or in any other well known and suitable manner. In the next groove is placed a second set I), but'at a less pitch. In the third groove, another set of the knives a of the same pitch as those of the first groove is placed, and in the fourth groove, a second set of the same pitch as those of the second groove, and so on around the cylinder, care being taken to break joints as before described. Another wayof securing the knives is by providing them with perforated feet h, as seen in Fig. 3 and securing them directly to the cylinder.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A cylinder for leather working machines, having a series of helical sets of blade or knife sections, each set consisting of a pinrality of sections disposed in helical relation to the axis of the cylinder, each set forming a helix thereon, the sections of adjacent sets being of different pitches and those of alternate sets of the same pitch, substantially as specified.

2. The cylinder for leather working machines havinga series of sets of comparatively short knife or blade sections,each of such sets consisting of a plurality of parallel sections disposed in helical relation to the axis of the cylinder and directed to the longitudinal center thereof, where it meets a corresponding but oppositely directed set upon the opposite half of the cylinder, the knives or blades of adjacent sets upon the same half of the cylinder having different pitches, and those of alternate sets the same pitch, substantially as specified.

3. The cylinder for leather-working machines having a series of sets ofc'omparatively short knife or blade sections, each of such sets consisting of a plurality of sections of the same pitch,disposed in helical relation to the axis of the cylinder and directed to the longitudinal center thereof, where it meets a corresponding but oppositely directed set upon the opposite half of the cylinder, the sections of adjacent sets having different pitches, and of alternate sets the same pitch, each section breaking joints with the adjacent sections of the same set andof different sets, substantially as specified.

4. A cylinder forleather working machines, having planed therein a series of parallel helical grooves directed from each end toward the center of the cylinder and helical knife or blade sections set obliquely in said grooves to form helices of different pitches, all the sections of one groove and of alternate grooves having the same pitch, while those of adjacent grooves have different pitches, and calking which secures the sections in the grooves, said grooves being of considerable width to permit variation in the pitch given to the knives of any cylinder, substantially as specified.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE \V. BAKER. Witnesses:

GEORGE H. PARMELEE, GEO. M. ANDERSON. 

